The Tutor and The Head Boy
by Cymberline
Summary: Follow Sirius as he attempts to woo a girl who hates him when he is assigned to tutor her and James as he finally makes Lily Evans fall in love with him. Not to mention, the boys need to pass NEWTS, fight Voledemort and graduate from Hogwarts with the best memories they can make with Remus and Peter. SB/OC, LE/JP (equal time spent on pairings) FULL SUMMARY INSIDE. (re-written)
1. Chapter 1

Story Summary:

**After years of waiting, James Potter _finally_ had the girl! Remus was happy, working hard and enjoying his final term at Hogwarts. Peter, though he had changed over the summer, was still there, playing his part. And Sirius? Well, Sirius was busy being himself, working hard at _not_ studying and even harder at conquering uncharted waters of the feminine kind.**

**When the boys return from the Christmas break of their 7th year, Sirius sees his newest love interest - a girl in 5th year he's never met before. When she catches his attention at the Feast, he realises he _must _get to know her better. The only problem is she's not interested. Try as he might, he can't catch her attention. Frustrated at his lack of success for the first time he can remember, and out of plans, Sirius turns to the only way he can spend any time with this girl - tutoring.**

**Edith Macdonald, the younger sister of the Macdonald family, really did not like Sirius Black. Never did, actually. Being attractive really didn't make up for being an arse, in her opinion. Well into her 5th year at Hogwarts, Eddie is heading towards her OWLs at an alarming speed. After a vicious argument with another student, she is determined to achieve top marks in her year, and prove once and for all that being Muggleborn didn't make her worthless. Things are going well for her; her marks are excellent in every subject area- oh, bar Transfiguration, that is. Achieving an 'Acceptable' really wasn't acceptable if she was going to be top of the year. After a rather tearful chat with Professor McGonagall about her options, she is assigned a tutor to help her improve her marks- a certain boy named Sirius Black.**

**Has Sirius, as a wise man once phrased it, lost his mojo, or can he get this girl to like him?**

Hello :). I first wrote this story a few years ago but never finished it. Now, I've given it a small re-write and thought I would start it again.

There's a spiel about soul bonding in the start of this chapter. It's go nothing to do with the rest of the story, it's just meant to show how Sirius feels about life and love.

_**I don't own Harry Potter. JKR does.**_

* * *

"Listen to this!" Peter said abruptly. The boys looked up, as Peter read from The Daily Prophet "_A young couple from New Hampshire have been registered and recorded at the Ministry of Magic as being Soul Bonded_"

"Soul bonded?" Asked Sirius, sounding both bored and haughty all at once

"It's when two people touch hands and their souls bond! It's really rare, seen maybe once in a lifetime!"

"And why do we care Peter?" Said James, not looking up from his game of chess with Remus

"Because it's miraculous!" Said Remus, "Soul bonded people have all sorts of special abilities! That's really interesting, Peter."

James rolled his eyes, "Look, if I cared, I'd have researched this."

"Exactly" Sirius replied, grinning at James.

"I was just saying," Grumbled Peter.

"Don't worry Peter," Said Remus loudly, "He's just upset Lily hasn't spoken to him yet,"

"She has so!"

"What, did she muttered 'toe-rag' at you under her breathe as way of greeting?" Sirius sneered. Remus laughed.

"Oh shut up, the pair of you. Lily and I are completely different now. We're friends! She even owled me something for Christmas, I'll have you know!"

"One, two, and three…" said Sirius

"Aww" mocked all the boys in unison.

James' bishop viciously attacked Remus' pawn, "I hate you all,"

"You do not," Said Sirius cheerfully, ripping the wrapper off a Chocolate Frog with his teeth, "You love us dearly and couldn't live without us."

James grumbled something obscene in return.

"So," Said Sirius, "This soul bonding thing Remus, can it happen to anyone?"

Remus looked at him curiously as he prodded his knight forward to attack James' queen, "Yes, I guess so. Why?"

Sirius shuddered. "It's one more thing to worry about."

Remus raised an eyebrow; "Worry about?" he moved his knight deftly and watched with clear satisfaction as it dragged James' queen off the board, "Why would you be worried about that?"

"Well, when I think of the amount of girls I snog a year, I might actually be able to meet this soul bondee and I have absolutely not desire to do that!" Remus rolled his eyes and James sniggered.

"Why not?" Said Peter, astounded, "It sounds wonderful."

"It would take all the fun out of life! And plus, my soul is mine. I don't want to share it with anyone,"

James sniggered again as his pawn reached the back row of Remus' side of the chessboard and he took back his queen, "Coward. You're terrified of commitment. When are you going to let someone make an honest man out of you?"

"Hey James," said Sirius loudly, "Reckon if you soul bonded with Lily she wouldn't hate your guts so much?"

"She doesn't hate my guts, Padfoot!"

"Oh, leave him alone Sirius," Said Remus lightly, "Let him believe what he wants about his precious Lily,"

Sirius chortled, "Ah, Moony. You're alright, you know that?"

"It's been mentioned," He said dryly.

"Honestly, she doesn't hate me!" James protested, and the other three laughed.

Sirius watched the scenery speed past the window, and he thought more on this soul bonding. As far as he was concerned, (and he was glad James was absolutely useless at Legilemency) he already shared his soul. He was quite sure it had mostly belonged to James for a very long time now; James, who was truly his brother in every sense of the word. _"Much better than any brother of my blood."_ Sirius mused darkly. Remus and Peter partook in parts of his soul too, and he was fine with that too. His friends were surely the most important things in the world, and the thought of something happening that could change that was positively terrifying. Maybe James was right, and he was a coward. Sirius preferred to think he was just a very loyal friend.

* * *

In a compartment on the other side of the train, Lily Evans was deep in conversation with her best friend Mary MacDonald. The two muggleborn girls discussion was, by no means, light. Having already been attacked on the platform by some Slytherins, they were dreading how hard the rest of this year was going to be for them. The Christmas holidays had provided a much-needed break, but they had been darkened by constant reports of people disappearing, odd deaths and freak accidents. On the other side of the compartment sat Mary's younger sister Edith, and her best friend Valerie. They seemed rather unconcerned about having been attacked, and were much more focused on the term ahead, their upcoming OWLS and creating a general ruckus. Both Edith and Valerie were 5th year students, and the two girls sat with a Charms book open, trying to find a way to change the colour of their hair. Edith seemed less interested in this than Valerie (who was pouring over the book) and had taken to studying The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5.

"Alright, Eddie. You're going to be the guinea pig,"

"I am?" The girl replied cautiously, looking up from the book

"Yes. We're just going to do a streak to test it. I'll do the whole head if it looks good. So, hold out your hair please!"

Eddie sighed, and took her hair down, separating off a section. Valerie grinned broadly, and tapped the hair with her wand, saying, "Ceruleus!" The section of hair turned a deep royal blue from root to tip. All four girls gasped in surprise

"Oh, Val, well done!" Eddie said, inspecting it in the hand mirror, "That looks fantastic,"

Val stood back and smirked at her handiwork, "It's not so bad, is it?"

Eddie abandoned the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 and picked up the charms book, "So, anyone else want one?"

Lily smirked, and shook her head, "I'll pass, thanks."

"Hmmm," Said Mary, contemplating, "Can you do a purple one for me?"

"Sure!" They replied together

"Much better than that nasty hair-dye" said Eddie, grinning at her sister

"Quicker and cleaner too," Mary acknowledged with a smile.

Lily sighed and said, "Could you two make yourselves more obvious? The Slytherins will be able to spot you from yards away,"

"Said the red-head," Sniggered Val, "They'll be fine, Lily,"

"I'll welcome the fight!" Said Edith, her eyes flashing; "I'm not having any of their bollocks this term, none of it! I don't have time for it! I have to beat Cynthia Gregson at OWLS"

Val rolled her eyes, "Would you forget about that?"

"No!" said Eddie hotly, "She's a little Slytherin twat! She's arrogant and conceited and she's been going on for years about how smart she is. And I'm going to prove her wrong!"

Mary and Val exchanged identical looks of exasperation, but Lily said, "Aren't you worried about You-Know-Who at all?"

"Pardon?" She replied, perplexed

"You're… you're acting as if everything is so normal, you know?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Said Eddie, staring, "Just because there's some nutter out there who wants to kill me for something I can't change doesn't mean I'm going to alter the way I live. I'm underage, inexperienced and untried. I'll fight where I can, doing what I can, and as soon as I finish school, I'll join the Order of the Phoenix. But, right now? I need to learn. And, plus Lils, I really just want to have some fun before life gets too serious on me."

Lily considered this, and then smiled, "You sound like James. The bit about having fun, at least"

"James is cleverer than he looks," Said Eddie, grinning

"Of course he is!" Said Val, "James is absolutely lovely"

Lily beamed at her, but didn't say anything.

"Are you two worried about NEWTS?" Asked Val, changing a section of her hair to blood red

Lily nodded vigorously, "Intensely. I haven't done nearly as much study as I should have done by now,"

Mary rolled her eyes, "Lils, you've done more study than most of the year put together,"

"She's lying, don't listen," Said Lily very seriously to the two 5th years, "I've got heaps more to do,"

Mary sighed, "I don't even know what I want to do when I finish,"

"All the more reason to study hard!" Said Lily, "It keeps your options open,"

Mary tucked a strand of her now purple hair behind her ear, "I guess so,"

Lily put a comforting arm around Mary, "You'll work something out,"

Mary smiled and nudged against her, "I'll have to in the end," They both laughed.

The girls finished the trip chatting of happier things, like Christmas gifts and the hot meal that awaited them on their return to Hogwarts. Mary and Lily had always been friendly, but it was after their fifth year that they truly became friends. Once Severus Snape had shown her his true colours, Lily had been sad, alone and short on friends. She was liked by the other girls in her year, but was often distant from them because she came across as being strict and studious. But, in reality, Lily was vivacious and funny; the truth was that she was just concerned with her grades and had a strong moral compass. Mary, who was warm and kind, had been like a healing potion for her after losing Snape and once they had started to properly talk their friendship had become cemented in stone. She saw through Lily's tough demeanor and accepted Lily exactly as she was. And, it helped that they were both Muggleborn. It was nice to have someone else understand how hard it was. Before Lily, Mary had been short on friends herself. She was quiet and shy and spent a lot of time with her younger sister Edith and Edith's best friend Valerie. It had taken time but now, in their seventh year, the girls had truly formed a cohesive group with the younger pair. They looked out for each other and though the end of their group was in sight, they planned to enjoy their remaining months together as much as possible.

* * *

Eddie was eating with gusto at the Gryffindor table on the first morning of classes after Christmas break. Valerie was still sleeping soundly in their dorm and nothing short of a hex would have woken her, and Eddie couldn't think of a single one that wouldn't have gotten her into trouble with her best friend. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were having an extremely boisterous conversation revolving largely around the consumption of alcohol that would ensue if England won the World Cup this coming summer. Eddie rolled her eyes. As if the World Cup was even going to happen, considering the current threat to the Wizarding community. _"Idealistic idiots,"_ She thought dryly. Edith Macdonald acted as if the Dark Lord didn't worry her, because it made it easier for her to pretend she wasn't scared. If she could just be bold enough, be brave enough- if she could just be the smartest student at Hogwarts, surely she might be free to go in peace? _"Now who's the idealistic idiot?"_ she thought grimly. Sirius Black threw a sausage at James Potter, who promptly caught it in his open mouth. The boys thought this was very funny. Eddie watched this, utterly repulsed by them.

"James!" Cried a voice "What on _Earth_ are you doing!? Were you brought up in a barn?" Lily Evans came thundering over to the Gryffindor table, wearing a pretty braid in her hair and a dark scowl on her face. James swallowed the sausage with a great gulp, and Sirius and Remus snorted into their morning goblets of juice.

"Well, Sirius threw it at me, and…"

"And you thought you'd eat it?" Finished Lily with her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised

He shrugged, "Waste not, want not Lils."

She made a show of dramatically pressing her fingers to her temples and sat down next to him, "Honestly, James. What ever will I do with you?"

He smiled at her, "You'll think of something,"

"Undoubtedly," She replied through clenched teeth.

James watched Lily as she piled breakfast onto her plate with a look in his eyes that spoke only of pure fondness for the attractive, fiery woman on his left.

"What?" She asked, perplexed

"Nothing. You." He replied, going back to his breakfast.

"Me what?" She said, more perplexed and now vaguely annoyed.

"Just you. I just like you."

Lily blushed crimson from her hairline to her neck; "Oh" she said softly; "thank you." The boys pretended they couldn't hear them.

"I've been telling you for years, you know," He said, perfectly cheerful, "But I think you're kind of hard-headed, you know?"

She scowled again, "I am not hard-headed,"

"You are. But don't worry; it's an endearing quality,"

Lily's scrambled eggs were becoming more and more scrambled as she moved them nervously around her plate, "Thank you James."

"I…"

"You?" The boy countered

"I rather like you too, you know."

James laughed, pleased, "I figured, but I didn't want to push my luck,"

She grinned, "You can't push what you don't have."

"Too true, peanut."

She made a face, "Urgh, James, I hate when you call me that,"

He grinned, "What did you prefer? Flower? Petal? Honey? Sweetie pie?"

"Mate, shut up," Said Sirius, though he was laughing, "Before Lily makes you,"

"Thank you Sirius," Said Lily, behaving as though she were relieved of a great burden.

"Morning, Lily," Said Eddie, putting one hand on her shoulder as she passed by

"Morning, Ed!" Said Lily, grasping her hand affectionately, "Where's Val?"

Eddie grinned, "In bed. I'm going to try to tempt her out with an offering of toast," She indicated the toast in her hand, "Morning guys," She greeted the rest of the group out of politeness more than desire to talk to them.

"Morning!" Three chorused back cheerfully. Sirius stared at with an open mouth full of sausage. Eddie lifted an eyebrow in disgust and said, "Well, see you at lunch Lils."

"See ya!" Lily replied, and went back to her breakfast

"Ooowaz dat?" Said Sirius, mouth full of food. Lily gave him a withering look. He swallowed and then said, "Sorry, forgot to swallow for a minute there. Who was that girl?"

"Edith MacDonald. She's Mary's little sister."

"Really?" Said Sirius, clearly interested now, "I haven't seen _her_ before! What year is she in?"

Lily gave him a hard stare, "5th year. And why do you ask?"

Sirius shrugged, "She's got a certain something to her, doesn't she?"

"She does," Replied Lily, "It's called a brain, and a decent helping of self respect."

"What's that meant to mean?"

Lily shrugged, "Nothing, really. Just think though, Sirius. How many other girls that you've dated have had a shred of either of those things I just mentioned?"

Sirius was watching Eddie walk away though, and wasn't listening. He'd made up his mind. She would be the first conquest of the new term.

Sirius quickly swallowed the rest of his breakfast, grabbed his bag and set off down the hall to follow her.

"Hey! Hey! Wait a second!" He called after Edith as she turned a corner. He ran quickly past her, only to stop directly in her path with his hands thrown out and a wide smile on his face.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her face expression showing her frustration at being stopped.

"Hello, I'm Sirius Black," He gave her his 'charming' smile

"Yeah, I know," She said, quite uncaringly. She moved past him. Sirius stood for a second, completely confused and then followed her, stopping in front of her again,

"And you are?" He tried again to turn on the charm

"Edith Macdonald. I've been in your house for five years now," Her tone was indifferent, if not annoyed, "What is it, Sirius?"

Sirius was thrown. She was a girl, and he was Sirius Black. This wasn't how the conversation usually went, "I just wanted to say hello."

"Oh. Hello," She said, and then made to walk off again

"Wait, wait!" He said

"What?" She turned around to face him, "What is it that you want?"

"Well, I was wondering whether or not you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me on the Valentines Day weekend?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, "I wasn't aware that had been announced?"

"Well, it hasn't. But if the schools not going, I'll show you a way we can go anyway." He winked at her

She cocked her head to the side slightly and said, "Why?"

He stared at her and said, "Why not?"

"Because you're an arrogant berk?"

Sirius stared again, completely shocked. He took a moment to reign in his temper and then said, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Black. I don't mean to be rude, but it's only the truth. You've been with almost every girl in the school. I'm not one to be a notch on a bed-post."

Sirius felt he was angrier than he had been in his whole life, "You're turning me down?"

"Obviously." She said coolly. Sirius gawked, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to drag a sleeping girl out of her bed and make her go to class. See you around." She walked off, her back straight, her walk even.

"You don't even know me!" He called after her

"Nor you me," She called back, not even facing him "I think I rather like it that way."

Sirius Black stared after the first girl who had ever turned him down with his mouth wide open.

"So she turned you down flat?!" Whispered Peter in Charms. The Marauders were grouped together at the back of the room, and were supposed to be pursuing the answers to a set of questions as a group.

"Completely!" Said Sirius, "It was the most embarrassing moment of my life! She's brain dead! I asked her out, and she said no! Any other girl in the whole school would've said yes!"

Remus smirked, "I think this is good for you, you know? You can't go around the rest of your life expecting every woman you meet to fall at your feet,"

Sirius glared at him, "Thank you, Moony. Way to salve my wounded pride."

James pattered Sirius on the back, "There, there mate. Plenty more fish in the sea."

Sirius gave him a shove, "But this is ridiculous! Why wouldn't she be interested?"

"I think the words 'arrogant berk' made it pretty clear why" Said Remus, his smirk now much more pronounced, "Look, Padfoot. Forget about it,"

"I can't" Sirius hissed, "It's unreasonable!"

"What else did she say?" Peter asked, "There must've been something else,"

"_You've been with every girl in the whole school"_ he mimicked, "Good enough for everyone else and not for her!"

"Obviously," Said Remus, writing the answer to question 5. "I'm sorry she turned you down mate, but you really do need to learn not every girl with a pulse wants you."

Sirius ground his teeth as if he refused to believe it.

"Sirius, you've got that look on your face that says you're not going to let this go," Said Remus seriously

"Of course I'm not! I'll make her see that I'm worth the trouble!"

James smirked, "Ah, and you used to tease me about Lily when I was like this," He looked around at Remus and Peter, "Don't you just _adore_ karma?"

"This isn't funny!" Sirius snapped as his friends laughed, "She'll see. You'll all see. I'll think of something. Just you wait! I'll have her by the end of the week!"

But he didn't have her by the end of the week. He hadn't even made progress by the end of the week. The bouquet of flowers he sent to appear on her desk in Transfiguration on Wednesday with the note, _Please come to Hogsmeade?_ were sent back to him almost instantaneously with the words, _thanks, but no thanks_ scribbled on the card is small, curved handwriting. She ignored him thoroughly at meal times, absorbed in her meal and her friends and she was rarely in the common room at night, already taking refuge in the library to study for OWLS. On Thursday night when he flew the red paper plane at her from across the library, she had sent it zooming back at him without even reading the note. The sting he felt on his forehead was nothing compared to the sting left on his pride. On Friday he appeared outside her Ancient Runes class, shuffling his feet and ruffling his hair, and she had walked past him without a second glance. Sirius was perplexed. This girl was from another planet entirely. James and Remus were finding this all very funny, and Peter looked upon it partly with confusion (for who could refuse Sirius?) and partly with pity.

He sat down at dinner on Friday evening totally dejected. He looked at his friends and said in a resigned voice, "I've lost my mojo."

"Your what?" Asked Remus

"My mojo! My magic, my skills with women! They're gone!"

Remus chuckled, "No, I think you're just going for the wrong girl."

"But there was never such a thing before!"

Lily came and sat by James. They smiled at one another, and Sirius realised that Lily might hold the answer to his problem,

"Lily, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Lily replied with a smile, spooning beans onto her plate

"Well, it's obvious you don't hate James anymore," Lily reddened and James grinned widely

"No, I don't hate James," She said, her eyes snapping up to Sirius', "What's your point, Black?"

"Well, how'd he do it? What changed your mind?"

"It's that… well… I just…" Lily stammered over the words and finished quickly with, "Why?"

Sirius sighed, "Because I need to know his secret,"

"Ask him then," She muttered, "What do you need it for, Sirius?" She leaned her head on her hand, "What girl could _you_ possibly be having trouble with?" James and Remus chuckled

"Eddie Macdonald," Sirius said with a sigh, "She hates me,"

Lily laughed, "She doesn't hate you. She's just not interested in you."

"Exactly!"

"What would you even do with her if you had her?" Lily said, her voice gaining a harder edge, "You'd get bored, as you always seem to do, then you'd break her heart and walk away from it."

Sirius made an indignant noise, "How would you even know? You don't know me!"

"No, but other girls seem to," She replied dryly, "And they say about as much,"

"Oh, so that's it then!" Sirius said in triumph, "She believes all the rumours!"

"What's not to believe?" Lily's voice remained dry, "The longest you've dated a girl is about 45 minutes,"

"Actually, it was 2 months. Back in 5th year," James interjected, "Some Hufflepuff… Michelle something?"

"Michelle Birmingham!" Sirius said in triumph, "I liked her and everything,"

Lily raised an eyebrow, "You felt you needed to point that out? It's usually assumed about relationships."

Sirius made an exasperated noise, and stabbed his potatoes angrily

Lily shook her head at him, smirking slightly, "You're not her type anyway, Sirius."

"And why not?" He snapped. His temper was close to the surface. Why didn't James defend him? Why not Remus or Peter? Since when did someone get to walk into their group and be allowed to talk to one of them like that?

"You're too much of an idiot. She's… more into boys who don't just run around blowing things up and trying to be cool." Lily said honestly, "No offence." She added quickly, realising that she had been harsh in her attempt to honest.

"But, but-" He spluttered, "So were you! And now you're not!"

Lily smiled slightly, glancing at James "Yeah, but I was wrong."

James turned pink and said, "Oh?"

Lily shrugged, "You're not so bad, Potter."

James laughed, "Same to you, Evans. Same to you."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "God, I'm so sick of this banter. We have to bloody listen to it every time we sit down and try to eat a meal. It's sickening, Prongs! Just snog and admit you like each other and get it _over_ with! This little thing you've got going is so _boring_!" The smiles slipped from their faces and were replaced with glares aimed in Sirius' direction. He grabbed his bag and rose from the table, "I'm going for a walk. See you guys later."

Sirius disappeared out of the hall and Remus sighed, "Shall I go after him?"

"No way." James grumbled in undertone.

"That girl's got him really shook up, huh?" Said Peter, "I've never seen him like this."

"Well, it's all new for him," Remus said fairly, "I don't think he's ever really _liked_ someone before."

"He doesn't like her," Said Lily, "He just wants what he can't have, simply because he can't have it."

James sighed, shaking his head, "I don't think that's it Lils."

"No?" She said quizzically

"Well, Sirius loves the thrill of the chase, I won't deny that. But there's just something different this time."

"But he doesn't even know her," Lily protested, "I mean sure, the rejection would hurt. But why would he keep going back to that? She's cute, and he can't have her. That's the extent of it, mark my words,"

"It's not just that she's refusing him that's getting him," Said Remus, "It's that she's resolute about it."

"Exactly," said James, "She's just completely uninterested. I don't think he's ever seen that in a girl before."

Peter sighed, "Well, what's he going to do about it?"

They all shrugged. "Nothing, hopefully," Said Lily, "If she's not interested, he should just move on."

"What if I'd moved on, Lily-flower? And now we weren't friends at all?" James asked her, his voice attempted to be mocking, but his eyes said otherwise.

Lily smirked, "Well, we're different, aren't we?"

Remus rolled his eyes, "Sirius had a point, guys. Get on with it." He threw back the rest of his water, "See you guys later."

Peter grabbed his stuff, "I'm outta here too." He turned to Remus, "Let's go find Padfoot."

James and Lily watched the boys walk away, and realised that it was just the two of them. A sudden awkward silence fell, and they both used that moment to finish their rapidly cooling dinners.

"Lily, you know… all that stuff applied to me," James said finally, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes

"What stuff?" Lily replied, putting her fork down and turning towards him

"The stuff about rejection hurting, the stuff about… well, about just not being able to give something up." He turned to face her, his face serious

They gazed at each other for a moment, before hurriedly looking away. "Oh," She whispered, "I'm sorry. Things were so different between us then; you were so different."

"Yeah," He replied, turning back to her "True, I changed for the better. But, more importantly, I stuck it out. I knew you would be worth the wait."

"How did you know I was worth it?" Her voice was a still whispered, but her hands betrayed her anxiousness as they shook slightly.

He chuckled, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear "It's because you, Lily Evans, have never once bored me in seven years."

She laughed, turning her bright eyes upwards to look into his face. She put her hand over his, "That's all it took, is it?"

He cupped her cheek with his hand, suddenly feeling more daring, "Lily, trust me. It's not a little thing. I have no attention span."

She laughed, "You know, I thought about as much,"

He gazed at her mouth, "Like, right now…I think…"

"Yes?" She prompted,

"I think Sirius is right. There's only one thing left that I want to do,"

And that was when James Potter kissed Lily Evans for the first time.

* * *

More soon, sorry it's so long but I wanted to introduce the story properly!

watch this space ;)


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone!

Just incase anyone wasn't aware; Mary Macdonald is, of course, the girl mentioned by Lily when she argues with Snape, the one who is attacked by Macnair when they're at Hogwarts. She isn't an own character, but because there is very little canonical information about her, I have embellished her character to suit the needs of my story.

Edith and Valerie are own characters, but I shall endeavor to give them flaws and make them bearable to read. I hope.

This story is going to focus equally on the romance between James and Lily and between Sirius and Edith. I enjoy JP/LE as it is my favourite ship, and Sirius is one of my favourite characters so I hate the idea that he lived his life without any sort of romantic love. I've got two endings in mind for this story and haven't decided which I like better, so we'll see where it goes. And, I don't know if all my chapters will be as long as Chapter 1, but I can only try .

Thanks for reading and enjoy! If you've got a minute, drop me a line in the reviews and let me know what you think! Cheers!

* * *

_"… He is a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing. So high and so conceited that there was no enduring him! He walked here, and he walked there, fancying himself so very great!"  
_

- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Ch. 3; Mrs. Bennet to Mr. Bennet about Mr. Darcy

* * *

Lily Evans was positively pleased with herself. After James had kissed her last week, she had been bold enough to demand a proper date to which James had said yes, though only on one condition – that she be his girlfriend. Now, it had gotten around the grapevine at Hogwarts that they were dating and it was the hot gossip, even amongst the teachers. She had heard Slughorn say to McGonagall drily, "I don't know what someone who is as bright and brainy as Lily Evans sees in that boy." And McGonagall had replied sharply, "It must certainly be his good heart, Horace!" The fact that Professor McGonagall, who had long been her favourite teacher, approved of her dating James made her beyond happy. She had always found McGonagall to be the teacher whose opinion she valued the most; though she was Slughorn's favourite, it was McGonagall she respected.

She was also incredibly pleased with the dirty looks jealous girls from other years and houses were giving her. Though it was unlike her to be so conceited, she truly felt like her boyfriend was quite a bit better than any of theirs. And, they had given her those dirty looks anyway when she had spent years turning James down. Before, they had wondered what was wrong with her for not liking him, and now, they sat wondering what was wrong with _them_ because they didn't have someone as wonderful as James. She had learned that you literally cannot please everyone, and at this stage she was quite content to just please herself. She had had a difficult year; her father was ill, she was taking on the duties of Head Girl and she was a muggleborn, which was dangerous at the moment. She was constantly under scrutiny from her teachers too; they expected her to set an example for her peers, and the pressure of NEWTS was becoming monumental. James was her one shining light. She never, ever thought she'd feel that way about James Potter, but there you go; life was unpredictable.

In the summer before their sixth year, James' father had passed away from dragon pox – he had been old, and the illness had been sudden and brutal. That was the event that caused James to change. He had returned to school after the summer holidays an altered person. He was focused; his homework was in on time, he ran Quidditch practise more smoothly and professionally than he had ever done before and he stopped hexing people needlessly. In fact, Sirius was more often in trouble alone or with Peter than he was with James. He showed the side that was caring and thoughtful. Once, he had brought Lily lunch in the library on a whim, claiming she had seemed stressed because of her workload and he thought she needed a good meal. He grew up overnight. He became patient with the first years in the common room when they needed help; all of them idolised him for his quidditch skills and loved him for his reputation, and before he had shown nothing but contempt for this. All these things Lily saw from a distance, and she watched him become the person he was supposed to be. It helped too that he stopped incessantly asking her out, and that she had started to realise that James was not only kind and sweet, but also a teeny bit devilishly handsome. From there, they became friends and the rest is now history.

Mary, who had listened with glee and patience at first to Lily talk endlessly of James' good qualities, was quickly losing patience with Lily's behaviour. Though she was happy for Lily, Mary was a bastion of practicality and didn't really buy into the whimsy of romance. Not to mention, she had recently split with her boyfriend George Grady and thus was feeling somewhat slighted when it came to love. In her hour of need, Lily had turned to Valerie, who was deliriously happy for her and always ready to wax poetical about the greatness of love and romance. It was helpful too that Val had long admired James. She played quidditch with him and had been his friend for years, so she knew that this was all James had wanted and she was glad for them both.

"I told you he was a good guy," She said smugly over dinner that night as she poured Lily a goblet of pumpkin juice.

Lily grinned roguishly, "You were absolutely right, I was terribly wrong and stubborn to doubt you." Valerie grinned back and the girls' clinked glasses.

"Are you talking about James again?" Mary asked sulkily as she sat down on Lily's right. She put her bag on the floor and said, "If so, I'm out. I can't stomach dinner if you're going to talk of romance." She sniffed and finished dramatically, "How I loath all men."

Lily threw an arm around her friend and said, "I'm sorry, Mary. I know you're bored of hearing about it already, but honestly, it's only been a week!"

Mary hugged Lily back and said, "No, I'm sorry Lils. I don't mean to be so… unkind, I'm just feeling out of sorts."

Valerie shook her head, "Mary, George is an absolute twat for dumping you, don't even think on it anymore. And Lily; just limit your talking about to James to no more than three times a day. Any more than that, and I'll be practicing my silencing charms on you." She waggled her finger at the end of this sentence; she was attempting to keep a straight face but her grin was fighting through. The three girls chuckled and tucked into dinner.

"Where's Edith?" Asked Mary to change the conversation. She placed a steak on her plate and added a good bit of green salad.

"No idea," Replied Val, going for a large chicken sandwich instead. "I haven't seen her since free period when she went to visit McGonagall."

As if on cue, Edith walked into the Great Hall. Her face was flushed and her eyes were bright, as if she had been crying. She marched over to the table and threw down her bag. The other girls stared at her but she said nothing as sat down. She poured herself a glass of water and reached for the large red dish in front of her for some chicken and leek pie. Whilst cutting into the dish furiously, she caused pastry to fly into the face of a first year boy on her left.

"Oi!" He snapped, "Watch it!"

She turned on him viciously, barking back, "You watch it, or next thing I'll dump the bloody thing right on your little head!" She brandished her fork at him violently.

The boy stared at her, and retreated back to the conversation he was having with his friend.

"I'll kill him!" Edith yelled finally, slamming a fist down on the table and causing the pumpkin juice to shake and spill. The boy next to her jumped in wild fright, and scuttled off with his friend towards the dorms.

Lily stilled the juice with a hand and whispered, "Calm down Edith, people are staring at you. What's wrong?"

"Sirius Twat Black has been assigned to me as tutor for Transfiguration. I don't know _how_ McGonagall thinks this is a good idea, anyone with half a wit knows I loath him. Obviously he's jinxed her, or put a compulsion potion into her morning coffee to convince her this is a good idea so that he can pester me to date him."

"Sirius is very good at Transfiguration," Said Mary fairly, "And he's going to be in trouble for the rest of the year for the stunt he pulled the other day. It must be his penance."

"PENANCE!" Edith hissed through clenched teeth, "Penance! He's been after me for two weeks, making flowers appear and notes fly at my head whilst I'm studying. As if I have time to COPE with this. Yesterday, he made SINGING VIOLETS appear from my cauldron in Potions! He ruined my Peppering Up Potion completely!"

Valarie interrupted with a snort and said, "Your face was priceless!" Eddie glared at her with enough ferocity to take the skin from her bones. "Sorry." Val muttered, taking a huge bite from her sandwich to show she would be too busy chewing to interrupt more.

Edith took a breath and started her rant anew, " And suddenly, one day after I talk to McGonagall about needing a tutor for Transfig, he's been assigned to me. Are you telling me this is a crazy coincidence! No way!" She ranted on, "He's absolutely abhorrent! He's corny and thoughtless; doesn't he know girls _talk_? He's done that stupid flower routine with every single person he's dated, and he expects it to still be charming! He's DAFT!" She made a noise of disgust and ripped more pastry off her pie, "And as if that GIT will take something like tutoring seriously anyway! What on Earth does he take seriously? He is nothing but an arrogant swine and I shan't do it!" She took a gulp of water and some more deep breaths, "I hate him with every fibre of my being, guys. He is stalking me. I don't want to go out with him, when will he get it? He doesn't even remotely KNOW me! Penance my right butt cheek, this is an elaborate plan to harass me into dating him."

Lily, who felt this was the most humorous situation she had ever heard, fought to keep a straight face. She reached across the table and calmly took Edith's hand, "Eddie, I know it's terrible, but I promise you it isn't an elaborate plan. You're being very paranoid and I think you need a night off from studying to sleep properly. You're not yourself. Sirius needs to complete 10 detentions with McGonagall before the end of the year, I heard her say it to him myself. This must be what she's chosen for him to do. He probably has no idea it's you he'll be tutoring."

Edith stared at Lily, unsure whether to believe her. "But why would he choose this? He doesn't care about other people's grades! He doesn't even care about his own grades, why would he give a hippogriff's arse about anyone elses' problems?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that he does." Lily said, filling up the girls' water. She squeezed Edith's hand comfortingly, "I honestly think this is his punishment. McGonagall was saying to him he needed to learn how to value the education of others; maybe this is her way of getting him to do so. Maybe this would be a good way for you to approach him kindly and ask him to leave you alone in any other circumstance too. You need to look at the bigger picture." Edith groaned and put her face into her hands, knowing Lily's logical and practical advice to be good.

Valerie put her arm around Edith and said, "At least he's easy on the eyes, mate; think about that. You could've end up with Jon Tuckey." All four girls turned at once to the Slytherin table to stare obviously at a blonde boy with an ugly sneer and a thick neck. He had large boils on his face and he was pulling the hair of a boy next to him whilst some other Slytherin's watched and laughed. Lily grimaced and turned back to Val and Eddie.

Mary took away Eddie's mangled pie and replaced it with a serve of chocolate tart, "At least you know you'll learn something Ed. He might be an idiot in class, but his marks are almost as good as Lily's. He's extremely bright - how do you think he manages to concoct such elaborate schemes for him and his friends?"

Edith took a bite of the tart sadly and sniffed, "I'll never beat Cynthia Gregson now; I'll fail Transfig and I'll never be a Healer."

Her friends protested this vehemently, and then tried to cheer her up. They consoled her and cajoled her until she was in a better mind frame about the news. All of them knew this was simply a reaction to stress and were being as calm and understanding as they possibly could.

"All you can do is make the best of it." Said Mary, hugging her sister tightly, "It's only Sirius Black. He can be silly, I know, but he's harmless. And, you never know, he may just help you."

Edith looked at her sister when she said this, and promptly burst into tears. A girl from fourth year scrambled away from Eddie, alarmed by the noise. Val turned to the younger girl and said, "She's stressed mate, don't worry. This is just what OWLS do to you." She grinned wolfishly then added affectionately "Have fun!"

* * *

Sirius was sitting in the library; this was a most unusual occurrence and he was feeling extremely uncomfortable. The only reason he ever came to the library was to do detention; McGonagall's favourite thing to assign him was hours of dusting books. Sirius assumed it was some attempt to cultivate in him a love of learning and books. Before he began cleaning, she always said sternly, "Do each book individually Mister Black; I shall know it if you haven't."

Crazy old bat, that Minnie, but it never got old harassing her. He couldn't imagine ever telling her, but the only reason he spent so much time aggravating her was because she was positively his favourite teacher. What other house could boast about having such a fierce and excellent teacher?

He always forgave her the punishments she dealt out; to be fair, she never held a grudge against him for his general malarkey. Tonight though, it was different; he was certainly cross with her to say the least. He figured making three desks spontaneously combust in class whilst his peers gave speeches at the front of the room was enough to earn him detention, but this? This was bang out of order. She had forced him into _tutoring_. He was to be assigned a student from fifth year, and he was sure that he was going to get some doughy Hufflepuff who didn't know a transmutation from a conjuring. He twirled his wand in his hands idly and admired the nook of the library reserved for this kind of business. Unbeknownst to him before this night, the library was actually full of small rooms, which were designed for study. The one he was in was particularly large and particularly secluded, which is precisely why it was used to tutor people. It gave people privacy. Sirius also assumed people had shagged in here at some point too – he certainly would be coming back here to do just that if he ever regained his mojo.

A knock on the door chased away his thoughts and he took a moment to grit his teeth and gather himself. Old Minnie had called him "emotionally unintelligent", which had been hurtful. He knew he wasn't perfect, but he was just out for a laugh – he wasn't trying to _bully _anyone. If he had to do this to get back in her good graces he would certainly try his best– however, he wasn't going to do it without a _little_ fun. He moved from the chair and put on James' invisibility cloak. The knocking became more urgent and Sirius decided to let the person wait another second. He cast a spell for breaking on the chair and then used his wand to make the door swing open slowly.

"Hello?" Said a female voice. _"A girl?" _he thought gleefully,_ "Oh that's much better, I hope she's at least a 7 out of 10."_ Edith MacDonald stuck her head in the door and looked around. Sirius stared; what a piece of luck! "Peeves?" She said carefully as she entered the room, "Are you in here? If you throw a dungbomb at me again, I swear I'll find a way to release you to the beyond this time!" Sirius stifled a laugh; she was classic. She sighed loudly and muttered, "That idiot is already late. I knew he wouldn't take this seriously."

Sirius threw off the invisibility cloak and snapped, "Excuse me, but I'm already here!"

Eddie jumped and turned on him, "What are you doing?"

Sirius shrugged and dropped the cloak, "Nothing. Just wanted to see who it was first."

She eyed him suspiciously, "So you didn't know I was going to be your student?"

He stared at her, "Not that this isn't a brilliant way to convince you of my endearing qualities, but no – I didn't think of this. Minnie didn't even tell me who I'd have, she just insisted I turn up." He then added, "Do you often talk to yourself? I hear it's a sign of insanity."

He watched her visibly cringe and she snapped, "Look – I want to make a few things extremely clear here. I am _not_ crazy, nor am I interested in you, or your opinion of me. We are here only on McGonagall's orders, and because she insists you're by far the very best transfiguration student she's ever taught."

Sirius swelled with pride and gleefully said, "I knew she loved me!"

Eddie rolled her eyes and moved towards the table, "Well, maybe you should ask her out then."

"Don't sit there!" Sirius yelled, grabbing for the chair, "It's broken!"

Edith stared at him, "It looks fine, Sirius."

Sirius tapped it with his wand and said, "Well looks can be deceiving."

Edith gave an unladylike snort and said, "You said it."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

She shook her head, "Nothing. Now, we're here because neither of us has a choice. But that doesn't mean we're going to be friends, or that we even need to talk to one another."

Sirius raised an eyebrow; "Well I think it might be hard to tutor you if I don't ever speak."

She didn't respond right away, instead she sat down and took her books from her bag. She opened _Trickiest Transfiguration_ to a page she had marked and then turned and looked at Sirius. She sighed, and then spoke earnestly, "I don't mean to offend you, but I need to be honest. The last two weeks your relentless pursuit of me has been both stressful and unnecessary, and I want to take this opportunity to ask you to stop. I have been in your house for five years now Sirius, and though I cannot say I know you, I can say I have come to a few understandings. There are exactly three things you care about, and that's James, Remus and Peter. Beyond that, you'll do and say whatever you think will get you what you want. You treat women like they're possessions; you pick them up and throw them away as you please, and then move on as if they meant nothing to you. You show no respect for Hogwarts, you're awful to other students and I would rather be tutored by the Fat Lady than you."

Sirius' temper rose to the surface and he sneered back, "Oh really?" Where did this girl get off?

"Yes, really." She said resolutely, turning towards her book, "Now this is how things are going to work. From here on in, you won't speak to me. You'll sit across the table and do whatever it is you usually do on a weeknight and I'll finish my homework. Then, at the end, when McGonagall comes to check on us, you'll say I'm making brilliant progress and then you'll leave. Outside of this room, you won't bother me. I have so much to do at the moment; OWLS are more work than I imagined they could be, and I don't need any added stress."

"Yes your majesty," Sirius mocked, "God why did I ever think you would be fun to go out with? You're the most boring and insufferable girl I've ever known. Not to mention, rude and stubborn! You don't know me at all - how dare you assume I'm so awful! And what, you're perfect?"

Edith opened her mouth to issue a furious retort, and then she stopped and seemed to think better of it. She began to do her homework, ignoring Sirius so completely it was as if he wasn't there.

Sirius sat across from her, dejected and (though he did not care to admit it) hurt. Did everyone think this way? He took out some homework of his own for Transfiguration (which he had begrudgingly brought with him because Remus had insisted he should) and sat quietly, thinking. Was she right? Was he simply a terrible human being?

* * *

I promise they'll stop hating each other relatively soon... And, that I'll include some more L/J interaction (their date, in particular) very, very soon.

I plan to make this story around 10-15 chapters of about this length, so it should progress relatively soon. This update was speedy because I've been off work, but in future I'll aim to update once a week or so.

Thanks again for reading.

~Cymberline.


	3. Chapter 3

_And I told you to be patient__  
__And I told you to be fine__  
__And I told you to be balanced__  
__And I told you to be kind  
__In the morning I'll be with you__  
__But it will be a different kind__  
__I'll be holding all the tickets__  
__And you'll be owning all the fines_

_Bon Iver – Skinny Love_

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a few weeks since I've last uploaded anything - I have had a crazy few weeks with work, but soon I'll be on holidays and then it'll be much easier to organise myself!

****Amended chapter****

**due to my lack of a beta reader, I uploaded this chapter without editing it properly! I've gone back through now and gotten most of the mistakes (I hope!)**

**Sorry to have uploaded it without checking it properly - I was in such a rush to get it up that I didn't edit it well. Won't happen again ;). And, if anyone wants to be my beta reader, PM me! Would be appreciated!**

**Cheers**

Next chapter:

* * *

They moved together under James' invisibility cloak, Lily's heart beating quickly. She rarely left the common room after hours unless it was for patrol or other official duties. James had managed to convince her, using his most charming smile, that they would both study better after a cup of hot chocolate and a large slice of custard tart. Since custard tart was ridiculously delicious, Lily had agreed, but now when she was out and about, every shadow was Filch out to get them and every noise was the sound of some rancorous Slytherin looking for trouble.

"What are they going to say if they catch the Head Girl and Boy out and about at night?" Lily whispered, her sensible nature finally winning out over her sense of adventure, "Good example we're setting." She added sarcastically.

James stifled a laugh and wrapped an arm around her, "Lils, they've caught me out of bed after hours, and I may have looked foolish sometimes but I don't regret a single one – and they still made me Head Boy, so I must be doing something right." Lily rolled her eyes – still, even after all this time, he was just a touch arrogant. He stopped then and turned to face her, saying, "Actually, I regret the time Sirius and I raided Slughorn's potions cupboard looking for bubotuber pus – I won't tell you why," He said hastily, "It's not a story you'd like to know."

Lily made a face, "God, I don't want to know which of you had anything in the way of boils bad enough to need bubotuber pus." James opened his mouth and Lily added, "Or where they were."

"Well, that's what we were looking for, except Sirius and I were arguing over what bubotuber pus would look like, and we managed to knock the top shelf of the cupboard out – don't ask how," He said, sighing, "We were really stupid. Anyway, the top shelf was filled with flobberworm mucus for thickening potions, and we got it all over us. It took a good week to get the mucus out of my hair completely. And it _smelled_, really smelled."  
Lily covered her mouth to muffle her laugh and she pushed James forwards, saying, "Well keep me away from the bubotuber pus and the mucus please and lead the way to the sweets. Where are the kitchens? I've never been down this way."  
"Not far now!" James grinned, "Forward, to cake!"

Lily stifled another laugh.

They walked through a door pretending to be a wall, and found they were going down a steep stairwell.

"We're under the Great Hall," James whispered. They walked another few minutes until they came upon a wall with a great painting of fruit hung on it. "Tickle the pear, Lils."  
Lily stared at him and said, "I beg your pardon!"

James snorted, "No, Lily, the pear in the painting. I don't know where your mind just went, but I liked it."

She flushed with embarrassment, seeming to James a uniform colour of red from her hair to her chin. She threw off the invisibility cloak, sweeping imperiously forward to tickle the pear.

"Nothing's happening James," She deadpanned, "I think you're having me on." Suddenly the pair giggled at her and became a doorknob. She stared incredulously at it as James reached around her to push it open. "After you, dear," He said sweetly.

The house elves greeted James like an old friend, "Mr. Potter!" They said in their squeaky voices, ushering him to an old wooden table in the corner of the room. James' face was split in his grin and as he sat down he said loudly, "Have you met my girlfriend?" He indicated towards Lily with great affection. The house elves smiled and laughed, greeting her warmly too. Lily was flabbergasted; how could everyone, literally everyone, in Hogwarts like her boyfriend almost as much as she did?

She pointed this out to him, "Is there anyone that doesn't like you?"

James beamed at her, "Not anyone that I care about. Let's be honest, the Slytherins hate me, but that's mutual. And probably warranted, on both sides. " He ruffled his hair in thought, making it seem windswept, "I'm sure there are others too. You once didn't like me,"  
She sighed, "I suppose not, but I didn't know you then. I think you're quite excellent these days," They smiled at each other.

"Is you wanting some hot chocolate Master James and miss?" Said a bright-eyed elf as she tugged on James' sleeve, "Or is you wanting something stronger?" She whispered this in conspiring tones.

Lily raised her eyebrow and James laughed loudly, "Oh Squinky, you really do crack me up. Just hot chocolate, thank you. And maybe a slice of custard tart if there's any about?"

Squinky was perplexed; "Is you sure you about the Firewhiskey?"

"Absolutely!" James insisted loudly, "I'm not partial to it Squinky, I don't know what you're thinking. Just the chocolate, please!"

"Yes, Master." She shook her head and turned to Lily, "What for you miss?"

Lily took in the exchange between the house elf and the boy, and decided then and there that she would need to allow the things James had done the past to be let go – and it wasn't as if she wasn't partial to the occasional Firewhiskey herself.

"May I please have the same as James, Squinky? And please call me Lily," She offered the elf her hand, "It seems you have known James for quite some time."

She took Lily's hand, her face showing her clear pleasure and warmth at the gesture, "Thanking you Miss Lily, I has been looking after Master James since he was a baby! He is a good boy." She patted him affectionately as she said this.

"A baby?" Lily said.

James smiled and placed a hand on Squinky's arm, "She was our house elf at Potter Manor when I was little; she helped raise me. Mum and Dad were a bit old, and a bit... overprotective. So, when I went to school, Mum wanted to know there was someone here keeping an eye on me. So, she asked Dumbledore if he might hire Squinky here in the kitchens. This is Lily Evans, Squinky."

The elf's eyes filled with bright tears, "Oh Master James! Miss Lily is finally not hating you!"

"She's my girlfriend, you know." He said with pride. Lily blushed and went to say something but was cut off by a loud noise.

Squinky proceeded to burst into tears upon hearing the news; she was completely overcome for James' sake. Lily was most upset, not understanding the tears were in fact happy ones and she reached across to try and comfort the elf. But it only resulted in Lily being pulled into a tight hug, "I is so happy!" She proclaimed. "Master James has liked Lily Evans for such a long time and was so sad when she didn't like him back! But now I is so happy to see you DO like him!" James looked on, half in horror and half in amusement as Squinky wiped her face against Lily's shirt. Lily handled this with dignity; she patted the elf on the back affectionately and said, "Well Squinky he has grown up quite a lot. He's rather nice now." She smiled at the elf

"Oh he was such a naughty boy, Master James." Lily laughed and it was James' turn to go rather pink, "He is giving his mother all her grey hairs, Miss Lily."

"Alright Squinky, c'mon now! Don't get me in trouble with Lily."

She nodded and wiped her eyes again, "I get your tart Master James, and yours Miss Lily." She patted them both on the arm affectionately before going off into the kitchen, where the other elves were peering around the corner with great interest.

James watched Lily with great interest, "Was that too odd?"

She smiled, "A bit odd, but it's good. The more I know you James, the more I like you. You couldn't bring me home to meet your mother, so you brought me to meet your mother's house elf." He laughed at her joke. "How sweet that you think enough of me to do so." She reached across the table and took James' hand, "I'm really glad to have you James. Truly, I am."

James smiled warmly and wrapped her small hands in his, "Lily, I'm really sorry I was so awful when you were friends with Snape." She opened her mouth to speak and he held up a hand and said, "No, I need to say it. I know it's been two years since all that stuff happened, and things have changed a lot for both of us, but I haven't ever apologised to you for what I was like. Seriously, I am sorry."

"James, it doesn't matter." Lily said gently, "We were different people; when your Dad died last year you changed a lot."

James frowned and said, "Yes but I can't believe that's what it took to get me to remove my head from my -"

Lily stopped him, not needing to hear from where he had removed his head. "James I forgive you. I understand. Everyone else was right about Snape. Everyone. I should have listened to the girls in my dorm - they tried to tell me for years."

James shook his head, "He was your friend like Sirius is mine – I understand why you defended him" Lily stared; she never thought James might admit something like that. James went on, "I couldn't ever have liked him - we never, ever could be friends. But, I didn't need to be the way I was either. And I don't take back the things I've said about him - what his friends did to Mary were reason enough for me to not like him, but that's the tip of the iceberg with him. When you were friends, he never defended you when his mates called you names and that used to make me so angry – he was being a right shit bloke. And, the way he spoke to you that day near the Lake in fifth year just totally summed him up for me. He really hurt you with the things he called you and it just made it too difficult for me to deal with him, even when I wasn't being such a twat all the time." Lily just watched him, unsure where this was all going. Though she was immensely pleased with what James was saying, she was truly feeling a bit uncomfortable. Lily generally found it hard to talk about her real feelings, and here was James confronting her about them and being very honest. Lily was good at giving her opinion, she was always the first to speak up about something but she never let her real, true feelings show.

The silence fell between them and to break it Lily whispered, "I understand."

"I never wanted to hurt you with my behaviour." James continued, "All I ever wanted to do was show you I was on your side, but I went the wrong way about it and I'm sorry I was so stupid. I'm really glad you've somehow found a way in your heart to let that stuff go; you're truly the best witch in the world. And all this year, we've been working together and I just wanted you to know that becoming Head Boy was worth it, just to get to know you."

Lily was quiet; she looked him and as green eyes met hazel there Lily saw a depth of feeling she knew her eyes reflected. She never thought she could feel this way about another person. "Oh James." She whispered, and leaned across the table to kiss him.

"JAMES!" Sirius burst through the door of the kitchen, "ARE YOU HERE MATE?"

James groaned and mouthed, "Sorry!" at Lily. He called out, "In here Padfoot, but I'm a bit busy mate."  
Sirius came flying into the kitchen, "Sorry Evans," he muttered. "Prongs," He said, he gripped James' arm, "I have never wanted to hex a girl in my life before tonight – bar my mother, and Narcissa, of course." He amended his first statement quickly and sat down at the table.  
"Your mate," He turned to Lily, "Is a nightmare. She is awful. She ignored me the ENTIRE time we were in the library, and only spoke to me to tell me never to speak to her again."

Lily's eyes narrowed, "She's not a nightmare Sirius, she just doesn't like you, and she has a good reason too."

Sirius threw up his hands in exasperation, "What did I ever do to her?"

Lily sighed, "Well, she made me promise that I wouldn't tell you, but I suppose I'm going to have to sooner or later." James and Sirius watched her curiously. Lily cleared her throat and went on, "Do you remember in our third year, when we had that young DADA teacher Professor Tyler-Garton?"

Sirius' and James' expressions took on a rather dreamt quality, "Sure I remember," Sirius said, "She was mint."

Lily went on, "Well, one morning at breakfast you were trying very hard to get the Professor's attention but she was simply too busy to talk to students. So, in order to spend more time with her, you concocted a plan to get detention. When she walked past the Gryffindor table you yelled "morning Professor" to her, and then dumped your bowl of porridge on the head of a first year girl."

Sirius' face fell, "Oh no."

"That girl was Eddie." Finished Lily. "Not to mention, she's been pulling shifts in the hospital wing with Madame Pomfrey since third year because she wants to be a healer, and she often patches up people you've hexed. So basically, she thinks you're a bit of an idiot and can't believe you'd actually want to help her. Honestly, she suspected you'd concocted this tutoring business as part of some plan so you could harass her into going out with you. Which I told her was stupid, of course, but she was very upset about it."

Sirius didn't say anything at first. He pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead and finally managed to say, "Great." He looked up and said, "Thank you Lily for explaining that."

She waved a hand, "It's nothing. Just try to be nice to her Sirius. She doesn't believe Mary and I that you're really quite harmless and you don't _intend_ to be malicious in your actions."

A determined expression came across his face, "I don't _care_ what she thinks of me! She doesn't even know me! She has no right to judge me! That was five years ago I did that, and she still dislikes me! And it's not like I did because I had any problem with his." He leapt up from the table, "I'm off; I need to move, to do something. This is all bollocks."

Lily and James watched him go, James with a look of pity and understanding and Lily with a look of sheer confusion. She didn't know Sirius was so sensitive.


End file.
